MtvU
Encyclopedia
mtvU is a division of Viacom
's MTV Networks
which produces a 24-hour television channel that is available on more than 750 college and university campuses across the United States, as well as several digital cable
packages. It provides a more targeted alternative to MTV
, and gives advertisers and music promotion companies access to college-age viewers, access that universities offer in an attempt to attract students to on-campus housing. The music played on the station is primarily indie rock
, pop punk
and hip-hop.
, which was on 450 campuses and attracting nearly a million viewers a week, along with College Television Network (CTN) and the most recent entrant at the time, Zilo
. CTN began as a venture that installed video jukeboxes on campuses.
Seven months later, after CTN was in financial trouble and National Lampoon had just acquired the defunct Burly Bear, MTV Networks acquired CTN for $15 million.
In February 2008, MTV Networks discontinued VH1 Uno
, a sparsely-viewed Spanish music video channel, and it replaced that channel with mtvU, to expand the channel's distribution further into regular cable homes.
mtvU plays a mix of music with an emphasis on emerging artists. (mtvU VIDEO PREMIERES) Each hour, mtvU broadcasts news updates from ABC News
(formerly CBS News
, changed in late 2006 in the wake of the Viacom
/CBS
separation), including international news and college-related news. Twice an hour, MTV News
airs stories on subjects such as music downloading, and musical artists under promotion by mtvU.
Additionally, mtvU airs several original programs produced by and featuring college students. The Freshmen features three rotating student panelists discussing new music videos and is hosted by Kim Stolz; Stand-In brings celebrities and intellectuals into college classrooms to teach for a day, and has featured people as diverse as Nobel Laureates Elie Wiesel
and Shimon Peres
; Madonna
; John McCain
; Marilyn Manson
; and Jhumpa Lahiri
.
It has also started a social networking site "Meet or Delete" along with Hewlett Packard.
, Motion City Soundtrack
, and The Afters
; 2006 winners include 30 Seconds to Mars
, Plain White T's
, mewithoutYou
, The Subways
and Gnarls Barkley
. The 2006 ceremony was also notable for Jared Leto
's altercation with Elijah Wood
and Scott from the music blog Stereogum
. The 2008 awards had a huge fan voting for the Best Music On Campus award, where The Bride Wore Black won the award and Chasing Arrows came in right behind. Winners at the 2008 Woodie Awards included Paramore
and There for Tomorrow
. Winners at the 2009 Woodie Awards included Green Day
, Kings of Leon
, Matt & Kim, NeverShoutNever, Tech N9ne
and Hotel of the Laughing Tree
.
was developed as part of an mtvU contest, and other Sudan genocide
coverage won mtvU two Emmys, including the 2006 Governors Award. mtvU also provides grants for student activists, giving away $1000 a week to various student groups. Currently, mtvU is also cosponsoring the ecomagination Challenge with GE, which aims to empower college students to solve environmental problems on campuses. mtvU also sponsored the Film Your Issue
competition, a competition designed to encourage college-age filmmakers to make short political pieces, and aired the winners.
Other opportunities mtvU provides for college students include Digital Incubator grants, which award students who are pioneering the future of broadband content, and the Student Filmmaker Award, which provides the winner with the chance to receive a development deal with mtvU and collect the award at the MTV Movie Awards. Besides these competitions, mtvU makes efforts to use student work through its programming.
Viacom
Viacom Inc. , short for "Video & Audio Communications", is an American media conglomerate with interests primarily in, but not limited to, cinema and cable television...
's MTV Networks
MTV Networks
MTV Networks is a division of media conglomerate Viacom that oversees the operations of many television channels and Internet brands, including the original MTV channel in the United States...
which produces a 24-hour television channel that is available on more than 750 college and university campuses across the United States, as well as several digital cable
Digital cable
Digital cable is a generic term for any type of cable television distribution using digital video compression or distribution. The technology was originally developed by Motorola.-Background:...
packages. It provides a more targeted alternative to MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, and gives advertisers and music promotion companies access to college-age viewers, access that universities offer in an attempt to attract students to on-campus housing. The music played on the station is primarily indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
, pop punk
Pop punk
Pop punk is a fusion music genre that combines elements of punk rock with pop music, to varying degrees. Allmusic describes the genre as a strand of alternative rock, which typically merges pop melodies with speedy punk tempos, chord changes and loud guitars...
and hip-hop.
History
MTV Network's proposal for a channel targeting college students, tentatively called MTV University, became public in February 2002. According to The New York Times, the channel was seeking to compete with Burly Bear NetworkBurly Bear Network
The Burly Bear Network was an American cable TV channel targeted at 18- to 24-year-old college students. Programming was offered on some university TV stations, including Arizona State University, Ball State University, Iowa State University, Northern Kentucky University, Purdue University, the...
, which was on 450 campuses and attracting nearly a million viewers a week, along with College Television Network (CTN) and the most recent entrant at the time, Zilo
Zilo
Zilo Networks Inc. was an integrated entertainment and marketing television network aimed at college students and young adults.Founded in 1999, New York City-based Zilo Networks quickly became one of the leading integrated entertainment and marketing networks designed specifically for college...
. CTN began as a venture that installed video jukeboxes on campuses.
Seven months later, after CTN was in financial trouble and National Lampoon had just acquired the defunct Burly Bear, MTV Networks acquired CTN for $15 million.
In February 2008, MTV Networks discontinued VH1 Uno
VH1 Uno
VH1 Uno was a digital cable and satellite television channel which was a sister channel of VH1...
, a sparsely-viewed Spanish music video channel, and it replaced that channel with mtvU, to expand the channel's distribution further into regular cable homes.
Programming
According to its promotional materials, mtvU broadcasts exclusive content dedicated to aspects of college life, including music, news, and on-campus events. The channel was the first MTV network to stream all of its content online. On-campus events include the Campus Invasion tour, featuring up-and-coming bands; the GAME0Rz Ball tour, which brings new video games to campus; and Tailgate Tour, which provides mtvU with a presence at campus tailgates. mtvU shows include Dean's List, the mtvU Awards, and mtvU Spring Break.mtvU plays a mix of music with an emphasis on emerging artists. (mtvU VIDEO PREMIERES) Each hour, mtvU broadcasts news updates from ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
(formerly CBS News
CBS News
CBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. The current chairman is Jeff Fager who is also the executive producer of 60 Minutes, while the current president of CBS News is David Rhodes. CBS News' flagship program is the CBS Evening News, hosted by the network's main...
, changed in late 2006 in the wake of the Viacom
Viacom
Viacom Inc. , short for "Video & Audio Communications", is an American media conglomerate with interests primarily in, but not limited to, cinema and cable television...
/CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
separation), including international news and college-related news. Twice an hour, MTV News
MTV News
MTV News is the news division of MTV, one of the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTV's related channels around the world. MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week In Rock, hosted by Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent...
airs stories on subjects such as music downloading, and musical artists under promotion by mtvU.
Additionally, mtvU airs several original programs produced by and featuring college students. The Freshmen features three rotating student panelists discussing new music videos and is hosted by Kim Stolz; Stand-In brings celebrities and intellectuals into college classrooms to teach for a day, and has featured people as diverse as Nobel Laureates Elie Wiesel
Elie Wiesel
Sir Eliezer "Elie" Wiesel KBE; born September 30, 1928) is a Hungarian-born Jewish-American writer, professor, political activist, Nobel Laureate, and Holocaust survivor. He is the author of 57 books, including Night, a work based on his experiences as a prisoner in the Auschwitz, Buna, and...
and Shimon Peres
Shimon Peres
GCMG is the ninth President of the State of Israel. Peres served twice as the eighth Prime Minister of Israel and once as Interim Prime Minister, and has been a member of 12 cabinets in a political career spanning over 66 years...
; Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
; John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
; Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson may refer to:* Marilyn Manson , an American rock musician* Marilyn Manson , the American rock band led by the singer of the same name...
; and Jhumpa Lahiri
Jhumpa Lahiri
Jhumpa Lahiri is a Bengali American author. Lahiri's debut short story collection, Interpreter of Maladies , won the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, and her first novel, The Namesake , was adapted into the popular film of the same name. She was born Nilanjana Sudeshna, which she says are both...
.
It has also started a social networking site "Meet or Delete" along with Hewlett Packard.
Woodie Awards
mtvU has its own annual awards show, the Woodie Awards, which they say recognizes "the music voted best by college students." Previous winners have included 2005's Death Cab for CutieDeath Cab for Cutie
Death Cab for Cutie is an American alternative rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington in 1997. The band consists of Ben Gibbard , Chris Walla , Nick Harmer and Jason McGerr ....
, Motion City Soundtrack
Motion City Soundtrack
Motion City Soundtrack is an American rock band from Minneapolis, Minnesota, formed in 1997. The band consists of founding members Justin Pierre and Joshua Cain , along with keyboardist and moog synthesist Jesse Johnson, bassist and backing vocalist Matthew Taylor, and drummer, percussionist and...
, and The Afters
The Afters
The Afters are a Christian rock band founded by Joshua Havens and Matt Fuqua. Havens and Fuqua first worked together in a Starbucks coffee shop in Mesquite, Texas, where they played for customers, before deciding to form a band. They added Brad Wigg and Marc Dodd, who were also employed at the same...
; 2006 winners include 30 Seconds to Mars
30 Seconds to Mars
30 Seconds to Mars is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1998. Since 2007, the band has consisted of actor Jared Leto , Shannon Leto and Tomo Miličević...
, Plain White T's
Plain White T's
Plain White T's is an American Pop rock band from Chicago, Illinois. Formed in 1997 by high school friends Tom Higgenson and Ken Fletcher, the group had a mostly underground following in Chicago basements, clubs, and bars in its early years, and underwent numerous personnel changes.The band is best...
, mewithoutYou
MewithoutYou
Me Without You, stylized as mewithoutYou and abbreviated as mwY, is an American rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The band consists of vocalist Aaron Weiss, guitarist Michael Weiss, bassist Greg Jehanian and drummer Rickie Mazzotta. MewithoutYou's music is generally dominated by...
, The Subways
The Subways
The Subways are an English alternative rock / indie rock band. Their debut album, Young For Eternity, was released on 4 July 2005 in the UK and February 14, 2006 in the U.S. Their second album, All or Nothing, was released on 30 June 2008 and their third album Money and Celebrity debuted on the...
and Gnarls Barkley
Gnarls Barkley
Gnarls Barkley is an American soul duo comprising Danger Mouse and Cee Lo Green. Their first studio album St. Elsewhere was released in 2006; along with its first single "Crazy". Both single and album were a major commercial success and have been noted for their large sales by download...
. The 2006 ceremony was also notable for Jared Leto
Jared Leto
Jared Joseph Leto is an American actor, director, producer, occasional model and musician. Leto has appeared in both big budget Hollywood films and smaller projects from independent producers and art houses. He rose to prominence for playing Jordan Catalano in the teenage drama My So-Called Life...
's altercation with Elijah Wood
Elijah Wood
Elijah Jordan Wood is an American actor. He made his film debut with a minor part in Back to the Future Part II , then landed a succession of larger roles that made him a critically acclaimed child actor by age 9. He is best known for his high-profile role as Frodo Baggins in Peter Jackson's...
and Scott from the music blog Stereogum
Stereogum
Stereogum was one of the first MP3 blogs. It was created by Scott Lapatine in January 2002 with a focus on independent and alternative music news, downloads, videos, and gossip. Stereogum has received several awards and citations, including the 2008 Plug Award for best music blog, Blender's...
. The 2008 awards had a huge fan voting for the Best Music On Campus award, where The Bride Wore Black won the award and Chasing Arrows came in right behind. Winners at the 2008 Woodie Awards included Paramore
Paramore
Paramore is an American rock band from Franklin, Tennessee, formed in 2004. The band consists of lead vocalist Hayley Williams, bassist Jeremy Davis, and guitarist Taylor York...
and There for Tomorrow
There For Tomorrow
There for Tomorrow is a band formed in Orlando, Florida in 2003. The group is influenced by bands such as Jimmy Eat World, Blink-182, Third Eye Blind, and The Hives.-Early years :...
. Winners at the 2009 Woodie Awards included Green Day
Green Day
Green Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool...
, Kings of Leon
Kings of Leon
Kings of Leon is an American rock band that originated in Albion, Oklahoma but formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 1999. The band is composed of brothers Anthony Caleb Followill , Ivan Nathan Followill and Michael Jared Followill Kings of Leon is an American rock band that originated in Albion,...
, Matt & Kim, NeverShoutNever, Tech N9ne
Tech N9ne
Aaron Dontez Yates , better known by his stage name Tech N9ne , is an American rapper from Kansas City, Missouri. In 1999, Yates and Travis O'Guin founded the record label Strange Music. Throughout his career, Yates has sold over one million albums and has had his music featured in film,...
and Hotel of the Laughing Tree
Hotel of the Laughing Tree
Hotel of the Laughing Tree is a Long Island based Indie Pop band that was formed in 2009. Shortly after its formation, Hotel of the Laughing Tree won an mtvU Woodie Award for Best Music On Campus. This, as well as a feature in the magazine Alternative Press and AbsolutePunk, led to their...
.
Awards for students
The online game Darfur Is DyingDarfur is Dying
Darfur is Dying is a flash-based browser game about the crisis in Darfur, western Sudan. The game won the Darfur Digital Activist Contest sponsored by mtvU. Released in April 2006, more than 800,000 people had played by September...
was developed as part of an mtvU contest, and other Sudan genocide
Darfur conflict
The Darfur Conflict was a guerrilla conflict or civil war centered on the Darfur region of Sudan. It began in February 2003 when the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army and Justice and Equality Movement groups in Darfur took up arms, accusing the Sudanese government of oppressing non-Arab Sudanese in...
coverage won mtvU two Emmys, including the 2006 Governors Award. mtvU also provides grants for student activists, giving away $1000 a week to various student groups. Currently, mtvU is also cosponsoring the ecomagination Challenge with GE, which aims to empower college students to solve environmental problems on campuses. mtvU also sponsored the Film Your Issue
Film Your Issue
Film Your Issue is a national issue film contest featuring 30 to 60-second films by U.S. residents from the ages of 18 to 26. Spearheaded by Heathcliff Rothman, in partnership with The American Democracy Project, the contest had its first "beta" round in 2005....
competition, a competition designed to encourage college-age filmmakers to make short political pieces, and aired the winners.
Other opportunities mtvU provides for college students include Digital Incubator grants, which award students who are pioneering the future of broadband content, and the Student Filmmaker Award, which provides the winner with the chance to receive a development deal with mtvU and collect the award at the MTV Movie Awards. Besides these competitions, mtvU makes efforts to use student work through its programming.
List of mtvU VJs
- Carly HendersonCarly HendersonCarly Henderson is an Emmy Award-nominated journalist and TV Presenter of Italian-Slovenian descent. She currently works as a VJ for mtvU.As mtvU's VJ, Carly promotes upcoming movie releases and shows, hosts video hours, interviews students, and reports from events like MTV's VMA Tour, mtvU's...
(current) - Kim StolzKim StolzKimberly Lynn "Kim" Stolz is a U.S. fashion model and television personality. Stolz is a correspondent for MTV News and serves as video jockey and host for The Freshmen, a series on mtvU. Stolz first came to fame as a contestant on Cycle 5 of America's Next Top Model, where she finished fifth place...
- Dana-Sky Faison
- Gardner LoulanGardner LoulanGardner Willson Loulan is an online community manager for and former television host at MTV Networks and NBC Universal...
- Josh McCutcheon
- Sarah Messer
- Sara Baiyu Chen (former)
- Taiwan BrownTaiwan BrownTaiwan Brown is an American actor, host, and former MtvU video jockey. He is currently the host for the iptv network OmitTV.com...
(former) http://www.mtvu.com/video/?id=1540618 - Michelle Yu (former) (now a TVG NetworkTVG NetworkTVG Network is an American specialty channel dedicated to horse racing. The company broadcasts from Los Angeles, California and is available in the United States on Dish Network and DirecTV as well as select cable companies...
Reporter)*http://community.tvg.com/t5/TVG-Viewer-Mailbox/Michelle-Yu-on-handicapping-the-races/td-p/166662/page/3